


Kryptonite

by firefly63



Category: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Some Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 11:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19886518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefly63/pseuds/firefly63
Summary: How will Superman save Lois this time?





	Kryptonite

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Lois & Clark piece, I started it more than 3 years ago and finished it over a year ago. I didn't realize I hadn't posted it until recently, then I kept forgetting to. It's just a real short piece from a scene that ran around in my head for a long time.

"Superman."

He twitched. His arms were lead.

"Super...man."

Lois?

He struggled for the light.

"Super...man!"

Definitely Lois. But her voice sounded--strained.

He felt like he was swimming up through thick goo. He fought harder.

A quickly squelched scream snapped his eyes open. He shook his head, trying to clear the grogginess. When his eyes finally focused his gaze found Lois. She was directly across from him. She was biting her lip, tears sparkling in her eyes. Her arms were stretched wide over her head by chains shackling her wrists. She was up on her toes. His gaze followed the chains up to the ceiling, across, and back down to his own wrists, which were also pulled wide above his head. That's when he realized he was on his knees, and it was his weight pulling Lois up on her toes.

He scrambled to his feet. Or tried. It took more effort than it should have. A wave of dizziness swept through him. He felt weak and nauseous.

"Lois?" His voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Superman! Are you all right?"

His head still felt like it was full of cobwebs. "The last thing I remember was finding you tied up in the generator room of the old Metropolis Waterworks building." Another wave of nausea swept through him and he fought to stay on his feet. He realized what must be happening.

"Right. I thought I was following a tip on that gang of pick pockets we've been following. It turned out to be a setup, and once again I was made bait to catch you."

"Don't blame yourself, Lois. I could no more leave you in danger than I could Perry or Jimmy--or my parents, even if it was a trap."

"I know, but I'm getting tired of the bad guys using me to hurt you." She sounded angry and near to tears. She took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. "They told me your shackles are laced with kryptonite. How bad is it?"

He gave her a tiny smile. "I'm managing for the moment. Who are 'they'?" He questioned, trying to divert her attention from him.

"Small Hand Mike Minion and Lefty Lamont."

"The pick pockets? How did they set up something this sophisticated?"

Lois chewed her lower lip, staring at him worriedly. "They had help, that's how. Someone they call Mr. D."

"Mr. D? I wonder who he could be?" he muttered.

"I don't know, but I'm sure going to find out once we get out of here!"

He silently cheered her bulldog determination and spirit, but knew she was expecting them to get out of this. He wasn't sure it was going to end that well for one of them. Determinedly, he ignored that possibility.

"So how did we end up chained like this?"

Lois looked pained by the memory. "You were lured here with a phone call. I think you knew it was some kind of trap, but it didn't help. The second you were close enough, they set off a canister of kryptonite gas. You went down like a felled tree. There must have been some other gas mixed with it, because I passed out moments later."

He barely managed to acknowledge her answer.

"Superman," she said worriedly, "I don't think we're the only ones they want to get their hands on."

"Oh?" It was getting harder to stay conscious, to stay on his feet.

"While they were waiting for you to show up, I heard one of them say that Clark should have been with me. I think they were hoping to catch Clark, too."

"I wonder why?"

"I'll tell you why, Superman."

###

Lois gasped. "Mayor Diamond?"

"Yes, Ms. Lane."

Steadily weakening, Superman could barely bring the man into focus. He managed to ask, "Why would you do this?"

"Because I plan to control this town and I don't need its two top reporters and its resident super hero interfering. You've already cost me enough trouble by shutting down Cyber Gang at every turn. I'm going to get you out of my hair for good so I can control every protection racket, gambling hall, and trafficking business in the city."

"The people of this city elected you because you promised to crack down on crime! Why would you betray them that way?" Lois demanded.

"Why else? For money and power, not necessarily in that order. Lex Luther almost managed it, but he was working from the wrong venue. The mayor, if he's careful, can have carte blanche. You see, if I control the city's crime rings without rousing the suspicion of the police I can eventually branch out to other cities and other crime rings, with no one the wiser! It's the perfect set up."

"And I suppose you want to control the press, too?" Lois said.

"Well, that would be ideal, but not feasible. History has shown repeatedly that a politically controlled press tends to backfire. No, what I intend to do is to carefully cull the really good reporters, leaving the lesser reporters in place. And if I'm careful, they will never catch on to the fact that I'm orchestrating the crime in this town. A win win for me."

"And a lose lose for anyone smart enough to figure it out," Lois muttered in frustration.

"Well, I'm afraid that's the way it has to be. If I allow star reporters like you and Mr. Kent around, they'd likely figure out something wasn't quite right and start nosing into things they don't need to be nosing into. Like you started to."

Diamond smiled beatifically as Lois scowled at him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must see if my associates have located Mr. Kent. With any luck, he should be joining you soon."

"Don't count on it!" Lois yelled.

Diamond smiled again then gave him an assessing look. "I'm afraid your friend Superman isn't looking too well. I do believe he might well expire before Mr. Kent can join you."

"You'd better hope not, Mister," Lois promised softly. Superman didn't think Diamond heard the catch in her voice.

Diamond laughed. "Or else what Ms. Lane? Without Superman you'll be up the proverbial creek without--"

They stared in surprise as the mayor crumpled to the floor mid-rant. They looked past his prone body to see Jimmy, a pipe raised like a baseball bat in his hands.

"Take _that_ Mister Mayor," the young man crowed.

###

"Jimmy!"

Lowering the pipe, Jimmy looked up from the downed Mayor and grinned at Lois. "Hi Lois. Hi Superman."

"Are we glad to see you! How did you know?" Lois questioned rapid fire. "You have to get Superman out of those chains. They're laced with kryptonite! Hurry!"

Jimmy dropped the pipe and rushed to his side.

"No, Jimmy, free Lois first," he ordered weakly. "I can't stand much longer. If I collapse Lois's arms could be yanked from their sockets."

Jimmy glanced up and around at the chains that held them and nodded, quickly going to Lois. He pulled his trusty Swiss Army knife out of his pocket and went to work on her shackles. Within a couple of minutes he had her free.

Once he knew he wouldn't hurt her, Superman let himself collapse, barely conscious as he hit the floor.

With a soft groan Lois lowered her arms, rubbing her wrists. "Thanks Jimmy," she said, rushing to Superman's side. Jimmy was right beside her, already reaching for one of the manacles.

"Hurry Jimmy, we have to get these off."

Jimmy bent to the task, glancing worriedly at the unconscious mayor then to Superman. The mayor was still out cold. "Keep an eye on the mayor Lois, last thing I want is for him to wake up while we're trying to free Superman."

Lois nodded in agreement. She picked up Jimmy's discarded pipe and positioned herself where she could watch the mayor yet still lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Do you have your cell phone, Jimmy?" she asked.

He nodded distractedly. "Yeah. I already called the chief when I found you guys. Cops should be here soon."

The first shackle came off and Jimmy tossed it aside, though it couldn't go far. The relief was felt, but minimal. Lois leaned over and whispered softly in his ear. "Hold on Clark. It's almost off."

All he could do was blink.

With another small burst of relief, the other manacle came free, but the kryptonite was still too close. He tried to move, but all he managed was a feeble twitch.

"Shh, easy, Superman," Lois said, brushing his cheek.

By now sirens could be heard approaching. The mayor was just beginning to show signs of coming around.

"Jimmy, can you drag Superman over there into the corner as far away from this as you can? I'll stand guard over the mayor and make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."

"Sure thing, Lois."

Jimmy and Lois rolled him to his back. He tried to help as Jimmy lifted him under the shoulders, but his efforts were feeble at best.

"Don't worry big guy, I got this. I may be short, but I'm strong," Jimmy assured, proving his words as he began to lift and tug.

The relief was immediate as they got farther and farther from the kryptonite infused chains, but he'd been exposed too long. His strength would take a while to return.

"Will you be all right here, Superman?"

"Yeah, Jimmy, thanks," he murmured. "Go help Lois. The police should be here any second."

Jimmy patted his shoulder and hurried back to Lois. Superman could only watch, too weak to do much other than breathe.

The police arrived, Perry White close on their heels. With a mumbled "thank you" he let go.

###

Voices. Quiet murmurs. Slowly they resolved themselves into one male and one female. Lois. And Dr. Kline. He must be at Star Labs.

"How long do you think it will be before he wakes up, Doctor Kline?"

"It's hard to say. The exposure was prolonged, but his vital signs have already dramatically improved since his arrival." A pause. "Ah, there, he's showing signs of consciousness now in fact."

"Really?" Lois clutched his hand between hers, leaning over him. "Superman?" Her voice was constricted, as though she'd been crying. He couldn't stand that.

With more effort than he believed it would take, he opened his eyes. Lois's beautiful face greeted him. He smiled. "Hi," he breathed.

She grinned. "Hi. Welcome back."

"Thanks. I'm glad to be back. The mayor? His associates?"

"All wrapped up," Lois assured him. "Turns out the police commissioner had already begun to suspect the mayor was orchestrating some of the crime business and had begun a secret investigation of his own. With what the mayor did to us and the file the police commissioner had, there was plenty of evidence to send them all to jail for a long time."

"Good." What a relief.

Dr. Kline stepped closer. "How do you feel Superman?"

"Still weak as a kitten, but I can feel my strength returning. It seems to be coming back much more slowly than usual."

The doctor nodded as if he expected that to be the case. "I suspect there is a little residue left that your body is still trying to get rid of. We washed you down, but the prolonged skin contact and your initial inhalation of the gaseous form will have left traces inside your tissues. It might take days, even weeks for you to feel a hundred percent."

"Really?"

"Superman, we almost lost you." Lois's voice cracked with emotion.

He stared at her in surprise, then looked at Dr. Kline for confirmation.

"She's right. We actually had to resuscitate you a couple of times before we managed to get enough of the residue off of you that your restorative powers took over."

"I didn't realize," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Well, you're on the mend now. I'd like to keep you here for a day or so just to be sure your system can handle the remaining kryptonite residue."

"A few hours. If I haven't improved much more by then, I'll stay a little longer."

"All right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some research to attend to. I will check on you later Superman. I'm glad you're on the mend."

"Me too, Doc. Thanks."

"You're welcome." The doctor gave him a distracted smile and left.

He returned his attention to Lois who was giving him a watery but beaming smile. He couldn't help but match it. The sight of her always filled him with joy.

"Are you all right?" he asked, not forgetting the painful ordeal she had endured as well.

"I'm fine. A few scrapes and bruises. Some sore muscles." She shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."

He studied her face intently and had to concede that she seemed fine.

Her smile widened into a grin and she leaned closer, cupping his face with her hands. "I'm fine. I'm happy you're okay." She leaned even closer until their lips were almost touching. "I love you, Clark."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Kent." Their lips met in a gentle, reaffirming kiss.

They parted only slightly. "Please don't ever scare me like that again," she admonished.

He tried and found he had strength enough to wrap her in his arms. "I'll try not to," he said softly, before claiming her mouth again.

Little by little his strength was returning and he had the love of his life safe and sound back in his arms. Maybe he could keep her--and them--that way for a while.

\--the end--


End file.
